England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
